While you might think being “Impulsive” is not necessarily a bad thing, it has to be put into the context of its terms when used with BPD. Sure, self-destructive and impulsive behaviour are two different things, but they often result in each other happening. Yes, this is a little confusing for sure, but I hope after reading this page you will have more of an idea of what it means and how to deal with it.
What is the BPD Symptom of Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behaviour?
As I said at the start, self-destructive and impulsive behaviour are two different things, but they are connected when it comes to BPD. Those of us who suffer from BPD can often be impulsive to the point that it causes self-destructive behaviour. You see, this “impulsiveness” we suffer from is more reactive than proactive, meaning we have almost zero control over it. You may not realise you’re doing it at all, at least on a conscious level every time you do it. It will be more understandable if we take an example of it…
Normal thought process: “I saw an advert for a theme park in London today, maybe I will visit it one day.”
But with BPD that thought process results in this impulsive action, “I saw an advert for a theme park in London today, so I quit my job and moved to London, leaving everyone and everything behind.” This is already quite self-destructive, but it most probably won’t stop there. “Since moving to London I realise I have no job, no friends and my old friend probably hate me now. There is no point in me going on.” So as you can see, its about extremes when it comes to BPD.
What Can Trigger the Symptom of Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behaviour?
Sadly much like the “advert” in our example it really can be anything and anyone. This sort of behaviour is something that you can really control unless you have had a lot of therapy and developed a significant amount of self-control. The lack of any single trigger point is what makes it so troublesome for those of us who suffer from this.
How Bad Can the Symptom of Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behaviour?
As we saw in the example above, one this will often lead to another with this symptom and it so often does. Yes, it can be harmless at times, but when the impulsiveness leads to/or results in Self-Destructive Behaviour things can quickly get out of control. Self-harm is a common result of this, but many people have lost their lives because of the reckless behaviour caused by their own impulsiveness and that doesn’t include people who have committed suicide because of it as well. When it comes to this symptom the less control you have of it, the more dangerous it will become.
How Can I Stop the Symptom of Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behaviour?
The best way to deal with this is of course with behavioural therapy like CBT, but any form of therapy that deals with some element of self-control should help you. YOu can indeed get free therapy on the NHS, but it is very much a postcode lottery and often a result of your symptoms getting to the point of no return. The good news is you can find many free behavioural therapy worksheets out there as well as self-help books all of which will be a benefit. To be able to deal with this disorder is to fully understand why it is happening in the first place. So in that respect, I hope this page as helped.
Well, I hope this has answered your question. As always with any posts/pages on this site, we would love to hear from you in the comments below. Is this a question you wanted answering? Are there any questions you have relating to BPD that we have not covered? If so please leave a comment to if you want more privacy do please to get in touch with us via the Contact page.
